


Anyone Else

by BriMarie



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Best Friends, Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Longing, Nini Salazar roberts - Freeform, Pining, Ricky Bowen Loves Nini Salazar-Roberts, Secret Crush, Soft Ricky Bowen (HSMTMTS), Yearning, high school musical the musical the series - Freeform, hsmtmts, ricky bowen - Freeform, rini - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:00:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26339155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BriMarie/pseuds/BriMarie
Summary: Nini tries to get over her longtime crush on her best friend by dating around.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60





	Anyone Else

The gang was currently at Gina and Kourtney's apartment claiming there place the main hang out spot for the group since it had the most space and was equidistant from everyone's places.

Kourtney had realized they all haven't hung out for a second due to their lives being busy as of recently, so she decided to throw a sleepover for the whole gang. They all were spread out across the living room and kitchen talking amongst each other. 

Ricky, EJ, and Big Red had been tossing a pillow across the counter despite all of Gina's protest. The others had been gossiping in the living room about one of Carlos' coworkers who apparently had tried his patience today. 

Nini had drifted off from the conversation letting her eyes focus their attention on something else, or should she say _someone_ else.

She glanced over at her longtime best friend and crush tossing a pillow straight at EJ's head. She smiled when she watched as the sides of his eyes crinkle up and his dimples become more prominent due to his laughter.

She sighs as she watched him from the couch. She had been hopelessly in love with Ricky since their sophomore year of high school. At first, she thought it was just some school girl crush she'd get over within the year. She was far off.

If anything, she fell even harder for him as time went on. She tried her best to get over him, but nothing seemed to be working. Now she was 23 and still yearning for him to love her back. 

She had been far too scared of telling him how she felt because of her fear of ruining their relationship and fear of him rejecting her. Everyone was painfully aware of her love for him not because she told them but because they could see it in her eyes and motions.

He turned his head and caught her eye. He smiled and winked at her, and she almost fainted. She played it off by giving him a weak wave and trying her best to hide her rosy cheeks. He turned his attention back to the pillow tossing. It's insane how much of an impact his simple smile has on her.

"Earth to Nini." Carlos snapped his fingers in her face. 

Nini whipped her head towards the group and saw they were all giving her smug looks. She began blushing even harder at being caught staring at him. 

"Sorry I got...side tracked. Uh what were you saying again Carlos?"

Carlos folded his arms. "Girl you didn't really think we were gonna let you off the hook that easy did you?"

She sighed. "I was hoping you would."

Seb nudged her lightly. "When are you gonna tell him?"

She shrugged as she played with the strings on her jeans. "I don't know; probably never at this point."

"Neens, you really gotta tell him. I mean it's almost been ten years. That's a really long time to keep a secret that big." Ashlyn says. 

The others all nod in agreement. She grunts as she hugs the pillow beside her.

"Yeah I know. You guys have been saying that forever now."

Gina rested her hand on Nini's knee. "Hey you never know; he might feel the same way back."

Nini rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Yeah right."

Ricky had always been very vocal about his feelings when it came to liking a girl. If he liked her back, he would've said something by now.

Kourtney clears her throat noticing the sad look on Nini's face. "Hey how about we watch a movie and make hot chocolates? I got a lot of Swiss Miss mix that would take months to finish."

"Oo can we watch Bring It On? I'd love to see some preppy bitches get their asses handed to them right now." Carlos suggested.

"Nah we should watch White Chicks!" Gina protested.

That started a mini battle between the mini group. The debate seemed to make everyone take their attention off Nini, and Nini mouthed a thank you to her. 

The guys came from the kitchen when they heard them fighting. Ricky came behind Nini and touched her shoulder. She felt chills run down her spine at the contact and almost missed what he said.

"What're they arguing over?”

"Oh uh they're deciding between watching White Chicks and Bring It On."

"Oh that's easy. White Chicks all the way." He plopped down on the couch beside her.

Her face began burning when she noticed how close he was sitting.

"Hey Neens, will you help me with the hot chocolates. Can't make them all by myself." Kourtney asks.

"Oh yeah of course." She gives Ricky a fleeting smile before following Kourtney to the kitchen.

When they are out of ear shot, Kourtney gives her a knowing look. "So how is your search for finding a date?"

Nini grumbled as she opened some of the Swiss Miss packets. "Not so hot."

"Nini, if you really wanna get over Ricky you gotta try to date someone else. It's the best way to get over someone."

"I know, I know, but at the same time it feels weird going out with someone I probably won't end up liking like that."

"Well how will you know if you never try to get out there?"

"I guess you're right."

Kourtney snapped her fingers. "Oh wait didn't you say some guy from your office named Ethan asked you out a few days ago? How about you just go out with him?"

Nini scrunched her nose. He was nice and all and dare she say cute, but he didn't seem like her type. "Hm maybe."

"Oh come on Neens, nothing beats a failure like a try."

She sighs in defeat knowing she wouldn't drop this any time soon. "Alright I'll text him tonight."

Kourtney proudly grinned. "That's my girl. Now I should probably actually start doing the hot chocolates."

Nini whipped out her phone and tried to muster up the courage to text Ethan about a possible date next week. After a full minute of deciding what to say, she finally texted him: "Is the offer to a date still on the table?" 

She quickly put her phone back in her pocket before helping Kourtney with the rest of the drinks. When the drinks were ready, they placed them in the center of the room.

"Did you guys finally decide on a movie?" Kourtney asks as she plops down between Ashlyn and Gina.

"We're watching White Chicks." Gina says as she sneers at an annoyed Carlos.

"The lack of taste in this room is astronomical." Carlos said as he snatched a mug and sips dramatically.

"Alrighty then, White Chicks it is." Kourtney turned on the movie as everyone else got settled in their seats.

Nini sat back in her spot handing Ricky a mug. He scooted close to her until their sides were completely touching. He placed his arm on the couch behind her, and she naturally leaned into him.

She took a sip of her cocoa as she tried to focus on the movie more than the man beside her. Her plan failed when he nudges her leg with his.

"Neens, you got a little whip cream on your face." 

She blushed as she tried to wipe it away but horribly missed. He smiled as he watched her struggle.

"I'll get it for you." 

He sets his mug aside before softly rubbing his thumb on her cheek. She couldn't stop her eyes from locking with his. She blushed even harder when he smiles down at her keeping his thumb on her cheek. The moment is ruined when she feels a vibration in her pocket.

She sees that the text is from Ethan.

_Ethan: The offer is definitely still on the table. I'll be glad to take you out to dinner next Friday after work. Can't wait :)_

She stared at the screen trying to figure out what to say back to that.

"Who're you texting?" Ricky peaks over at her screen. 

She swiftly hides her phone even though it wasn't needed. It's not like it'd be the end of the world if he found out she was going on a date, but for some reason it felt wrong.

"Oh it's no one important. Just my coworker asking some work related stuff."

He rose a brow not really buying her poor excuse but decided not to press the subject. "Uh huh."

When he wasn't looking, she typed a quick response to Ethan. As the night went on, more and more of the gang began to lull off into sleep. The last two standing were Ricky and Nini. They had been watching the credits with heavy eyes.

Ricky laid his head on top of hers bringing her closer with his arm. "You're so cozy Neens."

Nini had to pull herself together. "Oh uh thanks."

He surprises her by rolling them on their side on the couch. He places her in a spooning position pulling her as close to his chest as possible. She's grateful she's not facing him because he'd see how red her face was.

He pulls one of the blankets from the couch on top of them as he rested his head in the crook of her neck. 

"Goodnight Neens."

"N-night."

(Sometime during the middle of the night, Gina wakes up to use the bathroom and sees them cuddling and loosely holding hands. She couldn't help but think how natural they looked wrapped up in one another). 

***

That following Friday, she ends up going on that date with Ethan. And she had to admit that she wasn't exactly feeling it. 

There was nothing wrong with the restaurant or him. He actually was amazing the entire night engaging her in conversation, doing stereotypical chivalries, and being an overall great date. 

She felt bad for not being equally as invested in this date as he was. He clearly was trying his best and wanted to potentially date her. He had taken her to a snow cone stand in the city as the last portion of the date.

"Alright what's up?" He asks all of a sudden.

She scrunched her brows at his question. "What do you mean?"

He faintly smiles as he takes a small bite of his cone. "You've been distant the whole night which means you probably aren't as into me as I am in you. So what's up?"

She sighed. "I'm sorry Ethan. I tried to pursue you, but something didn't seem to really click. God that sounds kinda mean, sorry."

He chuckles as he waved her off. "No worries. I'm not offended. However I am curious what's been on your mind all night because you looked like you were contemplating something."

"Oh yeah I'm sorry about that too. I guess I can't help but think about..."

"Is it somebody else?"

She looked down at the ground as she nodded. "Yeah, somebody."

"Ah now that makes sense."

"Yeah..."

"Then why did you suddenly agree to go out with me?"

"My friend said I should give you a chance as an attempt to get over the person I'm in love with."

"Why can't you be with the person you love?"

"He's my best friend, and he doesn't feel the same."

"Oh damn that really sucks."

"You have no idea."

A moment of silence goes by as they eat their cones on the bench. 

"He's an idiot for not loving you back."

She blushes and laughs under her breath. "You don't mean that."

"I do. If he can't see how amazing you are, then he's an idiot."

She grins and gives him a peck on his cheek. "You're sweet, and you've been an amazing date. I hope one day you'll find a person that gives you the same energy."

"Thanks, you too." He checks the time and realized how late it was. "Come on, I'll take you home."

They both get up form their spots and walk to his car. When he pulls up to her house, she gives him a doting hug before entering her apartment. They promised to meet up again, but this time as friends since they seemed to have worked better that way.

When she settles in her room, she hears her ringtone. She lights up when she sees a picture of Ricky appear on her screen. She answered her phone.

"Hey."

"Hey Neens."

"What's up?" She can hear him shuffling with some papers in the background.

"Nothing really. I just really wanted to hear your voice."

She wanted to scream into a pillow like a teen. "Really? Why's that?"

"I had a stressful day, and you have this weird way of calming me down just by talking."

"Oh so you're using me? Damn I feel like a tool." 

"Oh shut up, you know I think the world of you."

She kicked her feet in the air as she lied on her stomach on her bed. "Yeah, I know."

"Do you mind keeping my mind off of my problems by just talking to me?"

"Of course. What should I talk about?"

"Anything."

She talks to him about her week, the show she was watching, and how she made a new friend tonight, but avoided talking about her date. She knew he'd wanna know everything about the date and didn't feel like explaining. 

They ended up talking for a solid hour before she heard him softly snoring on the other side of the line.

She mouths "I love you" before hanging up and calling it a night.

***

She finally invested in getting a Tinder due to the girls influence over the past two weeks. She was swiping aimlessly through the bios unimpressed with most of them.

She swiped right on two people so far and neither were that great either. She really only swiped because she felt bad for being too picky. She falls on a profile that caught her attention. 

Some dude named Peter had super liked her, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't find him cute. He wasn't as cute as Ricky because let's be honest no one on this app would be, but he did favor him a bit.

He had similar curly brown hair and hazel eyes. He even liked skating. Okay maybe she does have a type. She chose to swipe right on him. As if the dude had been waiting for her, he begins typing.

_Peter: Hi :)_

Nini felt a little nervous before continuing the conversation. She’s never done online dating and didn’t know the lingo yet. 

_Nini: Hi_

_Peter: I’m sorry if I’m coming off too strong, but like you’re really pretty._

_Nini: Awe thank you. You’re not too bad yourself._

_Peter: Oof not too bad?_

Nini began panicking thinking she already fucked up.

_Nini: Oh no! I didn’t mean to offend you!_

_Peter: It’s okay I was just kidding lol_

Nini took a breath.

_Nini: Oh thank god. Sorry I’m new to this whole online dating thing._

_Peter: no problem! And yeah I’ve been there. I’m not too experienced with this whole thing yet either. Maybe we can be inexperienced together?..._

Nini was a little taken aback. She didn’t expect to be asked out on the first meeting.

_Nini: Sure._

_Peter: Great maybe we can meet at that little cafe on 4th street next week. I heard great reviews. Anytime after 4 works for me._

_Nini: It’s a date._

_Peter: I was hoping so :)_

_Peter: Before you go, here’s my number. I’ll respond better that way._

_Nini: Thanks I’ll see you next week._

_Peter: I’m counting the days ;)_

She found herself smiling after she ended the conversation. He seemed like a cool dude she could see her having fun with. Maybe he was the antidote to her lovesickness. Maybe he was the gateway to falling out of love with her best friend. Maybe-

She hears a knock at her door. She wasn’t expecting guest tonight, so she was a little skeptical at answering the door at 9 pm. She slowly opened the door and was shocked to see Ricky with a to go bag in his hands. 

Of course he appears right when she’s thinking of moving on. Great, now she can’t even remember the name of the dude she’s supposed to be meeting next week.

“I don’t recall ordering Uber eats.” She jokes.

“You and I both know I’d get fired for eating the food if I worked for them.”

She lets him in, and he places the bag on her counter.

“Is there any particular reason you felt the need to surprise me with fast food?”

He snags a fry from both containers and shrugs. “What I can’t surprise my best friend with food and grace her with my beautiful face at random hours of the night?”

She rolled her eyes and took some of the food in the bag out. “What if I were busy?”

“You’re never busy on Tuesday nights.”

“Well what if I were on a date?”

He scoffs. “Yeah right.”

Her smile falls, and he realized how that sounded. 

“Oh no sorry! No, that’s not what I meant! I meant it like you aren’t the type to go on a date on a Tuesday night because you’d be worried about work. Also, I’m pretty sure you’d tell me if you went on a date.”

She felt a little guilty at that last sentence. She didn’t meet his eye as she nervously fiddled with her hoodie strings.

“Wait a minute.”

She looks up at him with a mildly worried face. She hoped he wasn’t gonna say what she thinks he’s gonna say.

“Holy fuck you went on a date without telling me didn’t you?” 

She shakes her head suspiciously and tries to remain as calm as possible. “What makes you think that?”

Ricky smirks as he approached her. “What’s his name?”

She decided to be difficult. “How can I give a name if there is nobody?”

He squints his eyes as he analyzed her. “So you’re gonna play it the hard way?”

“As compared to the soft way?” 

She doesn’t know where this sudden boost of confidence comes from, but she’s enjoying watching him riled up about her love life. She can tell he wanted to laugh at what she said but quickly turned his smile down.

“Don’t get smart with me Nina. I’m onto you.” He points a finger in between her eyes.

“You’re not getting anything out of me.”

“Are you sure about that?” 

He’s standing dangerously close to her face. She’s too distracted by his challenging eyes to notice. Otherwise, her legs would become jelly.

“Positive.”

He gives her a taunting smile as he shows her phone he pulled from behind him. She eyed it in disbelief. When did he have the time to grab it before she could notice?

“You’re gonna regret giving me your password tonight.” 

He puts in his finger print as he holds the phone up high knowing she’d try to snatch it. She hopped and tried to climb on him to get to her phone, but it was pointless.

“Damn you and your giraffe legs!”

He raises a brow when he sees Tinder on her phone. “When the hell did you get Tinder?”

“None of your business!”

“Do you know how dangerous online dating is?”

“What’re you my mom?”

“Wait is the dude you went on a date with from tinder?! I’ve definitely gotta check him out then.”

“No it was my coworker!”

That seemed to have thrown him off long enough for him to let his guard down. She took this opportunity to take her phone. She ran to the opposite side of the counter so he couldn’t reach it.

“When did you go out with a coworker?”

“I said that to distract you.”

“Oh so you didn’t go out with a coworker?”

She stays silent for a while.

“You did.” 

Call her crazy, but she swore she heard a hint of disappointment in his tone.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Uh when?”

“That night you called to just hear my voice. It was like a few weeks ago.”

“Oh...”

For some reason, she feels like she cheated on him which is ridiculous. “We ended up just being friends. I wasn’t really into him.”

“Oh?”

She doesn’t miss the faint grin on the corner of his lips.

“Yeah.”

“That doesn’t explain tinder though.”

She smirks. “Why’re you so invested in my love life all of a sudden?”

“I’m just looking out for my friend. Is that so wrong?”

“I’ve never seen you act out like this with our other friends.”

“Well yeah, but that’s because you’re different.”

“How so?”

He walks over to her and holds one of her hands. “I care about you so much Neens. I just wanna make sure you’re in good hands.”

She can feel her legs giving out on her at his simple touch, and his intense gaze is hard to escape. His other hand reaches over to place her phone on the counter. His other hand brought her body to his firm chest. She wrapped her arms around his frame letting her body mold into his.

“Sorry if I seemed like I was prying.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad I have a friend who cares that much about my safety.”

He roams his hands up her back, and she thinks she might just melt into a puddle. All of a sudden, he picks her up and takes them to her couch. She squealed the entire time to the living room secretly enjoying the feeling of him holding her so close.

“I actually came over to catch up on The Office with you.”

She makes a culpable face. “I may or may not have watched a few episodes without you.”

He over exaggerates his gasp and makes a mock wounded expression. “Nina, for shame.”

“I know! I’m sorry.”

“I need some space to rethink our entire relationship.” He says over dramatically as he sits on the opposite end of the couch. She rolled her eyes as she turned on the last episode they watched together.

During the episode, he “forgave her” and cuddled with her for the rest of the night. He ends up staying for an entire season and leaves at 4 am.

He gives her a peck on the cheek before he leaves, and she couldn’t stop smiling as she faded into slumber.

***

Nini texted the girls to meet at Gina and Kourtney’s to discuss her first actual date. She doesn’t count Ethan since they ended up being platonic.

The girls had been excited to hear about this potential love interest, and they were wondering if this guy would be the one that’d end her long term love. It’s not like they didn’t want Ricky and Nini to happen, but hey sometimes you had to be realistic.

They had all found it a little funny how much the guy resembled Ricky even with some of the similar hobbies. Everyone else had arrived before Nini, so they left the door unlocked for her.

They see the door creak open and are greeted by a smiley Nini. They all beam when they see she’s happy. She closed the door behind her as she makes her way to the couch.

“So how was this Peter guy?” Gina asks.

“He’s...amazing actually.”

The girls all squeal.

“I can tell it was a good date by the way you’re smiling!” Kourtney states.

“Yeah he was kind of the perfect date.”

“Tell us all the details!” Ashlyn says.

All the girls lean in waiting for her response.

“Well he likes a lot of the same things as me. He’s a lot taller and more attractive in person. He was really sweet and he’s actually my type.”

“Oh my god that’s great!” Gina says.

“Yeah it is great right? Like I should be so happy that I met someone this perfect for me right? Like he’s basically the obvious right choice for me right?”

The girls excited demeanor slowly disappear when they realize she’s spiraling.

“I should be happy that this man could potentially be the person I could end up being really happy with and hell even a possible future with. I should be excited to see him again for our next date at the art museum. But you know what’s absolutely absurd? I’m not! I’m not happy with the idea of being with this ideal man because I already _know_ who the perfect man for me is.”

She calms down a bit after her rant.

“Guys, I’m already taken. I have been for years now. I don’t _want_ anyone else. I never _will_ want anyone else. I’m completely his.” 

The other girls stay quiet waiting to see if she’ll say anything else. Kourtney is the first to speak.

“Oh Nini. I really don’t know what to say.”

“There isn’t anything to say really. You’ve all done your best to help me get over him, but my heart is a stubborn bastard.”

“What can we do?” Ashlyn asks.

“Nothing. This is something I have to face alone.” She gets up from her spot and walks to the door. She looks over at her friends and gives them a nod as a goodbye before heading out.

***

Nini had invited Ricky over to her place while she was getting dressed for Ashlyn’s birthday party. He had offered her a ride, and she figured he may as well stay around a little bit before they head out.

She had been taking a while putting on her make up, and he was getting a little impatient in the living room.

“Neensssssss.”

“Shut it.”

“What’s taking you so long?”

“Art takes time Richard.”

“But you already are a work of art Neens.”

Her cheeks heat up at the compliment.

“S-Stop.”

“What? I’m just saying.”

As she’s applying the last few strokes of her mascara, he enters the bathroom.

“Ricky, standing over me won’t make me move any faster.”

“I was just curious what on earth could possibly take this long to apply.” 

He picked up some of the numerous make up products trying to figure what did what. He gave up trying when he picked up concealer. He sees her apply chapstick and smiles.

“What flavor is that?”

She puckers her lips. “Oh it’s cherry.”

“Can I try it?”

“Sure.” 

She hands it over to him, but his left hand lifted her chin up to him. His right hand grips her waist to close the distance between their torsos.

His eyes meet hers for a moment before he smashes his lips onto hers. Her eyes are practically popping out of her sockets at the gesture. It takes her a second to finally relax in his arms and kiss him back.

She wraps her arms around his neck as his left hand slithered down to her waist. She ended up getting on her tippy toes in order to get a better angle. He responded by kneeling down a bit so she had better access. 

She felt fireworks as she moved her lips with his never wanting this moment to end, but they needed air to breathe. They let go at the same time both left short of breath from the intensity of the kiss. Both of their faces are painted red.

“That’s uh one hell of a way to try on chapstick.”

He chuckled as he rested his head on hers. “You know me, never have been a fan of tradition.”

Her hands travelled down to his face. “Why did you kiss me? I loved it like _a lot_ , but why?” 

“Nini, I have been wanting to kiss you for literal years now. Like it’s almost embarrassing how long I’ve been pining for you.”

She light heartedly smacks his chest. “No way!”

“Believe it. I’ve been wanting to find a way to tell you for a while now, but never could find the balls. I was scared of ruining us.”

“What gave you a random confidence boost?”

He made an ashamed look. “Okay don’t be mad, but I may or may not have overheard you and Kourtney at the sleepover a few months ago talking about getting over me.”

“Well that’s embarrassing.”

He forms circles with his thumbs under her shirt. “Don’t feel embarrassed. I tried to make sure you didn’t get over me by being more affectionate because I wanted you too. I wanted to tell you I overheard, but I didn’t really know how to approach you about it. I was happy you felt the same though.”

She makes a smug face. “Is that why you were asking about my love life a few months ago? You were jealous weren’t you?”

He groaned and hid his face in her shoulder. “Ugh don’t remind me.”

“Nah, I think I will.”

He grumbles before he begins kissing along her neck causing her to forget how to speak. His lips collide with hers. He pushed her against the wall to have a better hold of her.

Let’s just say they ended up a few minutes late to Ashlyn’s party.

(Their friends actually rejoiced and celebrated when they get the news, and Big Red burst into tears claiming this moment was more glorious than D-Day).

***

_How am I supposed to think about anything else?_  
_How am I to go on keeping this to myself?  
I am done pretending I want anyone else._

**Author's Note:**

> Haven't done a fluff in a second. 
> 
> You’ll never guess the song this is based off of.


End file.
